A little light green reading.

I was recently asked to speak at BCIT’s Marketing Week, where I got to tell all my scary sustainability stories to the people who will be responsible for the marketing I get to complain about in my old age.

The theme of my talk was Sustainability Literacy, and as part of this Powerpoint extravaganza, I ended up compiling a few resources for further reading. It occurred to me that some of my regular Green Briefs readers might be interested in a couple of these links as well. So here is your Sustainability Literacy reading list for the week.

5 Green Consumers You Need To Know
This is actually cheating, as it is a link back to my own blog article. But even though this list was compiled 4 years ago, the idea behind sustainability behaviour as a technology adoption curve still stands.

My friends at the environmental agency Terrachoice started this concept over 5 years ago, and it is still going strong. This is the definitive guide to critical analysis of product claims, and while it has been criticized for being too critical, the theory is sound. Kudos for their new family-friendly site, too.

Nature’s Path Organic Sustainability Report
One of the most readable, user-friendly documents on the subject that I have yet found. Not a thick corporate tome, but practical and warm. All from a great family company that continues to buck the Big Food Corp trend. Scroll down the page to read it onscreen in a virtual-magazine format. Buy their food, too.

GreenDeal.ca by London Drugs
Another shameless self-promo, I guess. (Copy and branding by Unicycle Creative) But as an overview for a retailer who is doing some great things, it’s one client case I love to share. Green products, package take-back and even styrofoam recycling. Everyone should shop there.

Patagonia Footprint Chronicles
Ever want to know where that sweater came from? Follow along on this visually-compelling site. A great supply-chain primer for anyone wanting to understand more about the effects of globalization on manufacturing.

Sustainable Brands Conference
This is my favourite annual event for green marketing, and the people who put it on, (Sustainable Life Media) do a great job of maintaining the network of professionals all year long. Click to see my video below from the 2011 event for an idea of what it is like.

Nike Better World
OK, I know, the old Nike marketing example. But they DO a great job, despite all the money and resources they have at their disposal. I love the way they link sports to a better world, and for an inside look at how they are planning to embed sustainability throughout the organization, check out their internal launch video as well. Narrated by CEO Phil Knight, no less.

So what’s YOUR favourite sustainability or branding link?
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